Military and police personnel allegedly harassed human rights defenders and journalists who were in the province of Davao Oriental, Philippines on a fact-finding mission and relief operation in the wake of typhoon Pablo.

For the second year in a row, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to approve CISPA, a bill that would allow companies to bypass all existing privacy law to spy on communications and pass sensitive user data to the government.

On 1 April 2013, President Omar al-Bashir announced that all political prisoners would be released. Authorities have released 24 people since the announcement, but research suggests that at least 100 more are still detained.

Radio journalist Leonel García has reported receiving death threats related to his critical reporting and the fact that he provides an opportunity for citizens to voice their concerns on his programmes.